Sash-balance.



Patented Nuv. 2|, I899.

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SASH BALANCE.

(Application filed Mar. 1 I899.)

c mm 7 RM (Ne llodoL) No. 637.545. Patented Nov. 2|, I899. M. BARBER &.L. F. KRAMER.

SASH BALANCE.

(Application filed Mar. 1, 1899.)

2 Shasta-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

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MELVIN BARBER AND LOUIS F. KRAMER, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

SASH-BALANCE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters PatentNo. 637,545, dated November21, 1899. Application filed March 1, 1899. Serial No. 707,254. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, MELVIN BARBER and Lows F. KRAMER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Oklahoma, in the county of Oklahoma andTerritory of Oklahom a,have invented a new and useful Sash-Balance, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sash-balances of that class involving a rotaryspring-actuated drum upon which a cord connected with a sash is wound,whereby any slack or loose ness in the cord is taken up by the turningof the drum and in which the spring serves to firmly hold the sash in araised position, and the invention is in the nature of an improvementupon the sash-balance described and claimed in Letters Patent No.605,215, granted to Melvin Barber and J. P. Ashby June 7,1898; and theobjects are to materially simplify the construction as well as to reducethe cost of manufacture and the ease of assemblage of the parts, and theparts of the device are arranged in a very small space. Means are alsoprovided for preventing one sash from passing the other, and to securethis advantage one of the sashes, preferably the upper one, is providedwith one or more stops adapted to be engaged by the other or lower sashwhen said lower sash has reached a certain place in its verticalmovement, thereby positively preventing the further raising of saidlower sash, or vice versa.

With these ends in View the invention consists in the novel combinationof elements and in the construction and .arrangement of parts which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed. 4

To enable others'to understand the invention, the preferred embodimentthereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view,partlybroken away and in section, of a spring sash-balance constructed inaccordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of thewindowcasing with the improved sash-balancing mechanism applied to anddisposed within the head of the casing. Fig. 3 is a sectional sideelevation. Fig, 4 is a sectional side ele- Vation of a portion of thewinding mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a plan viewof the blank from which the bracket supporting theroller-shaft is. I formed.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bracket. Fig. 7 is a front elevationof one of the roller-supporting brackets.

v Like characters designate like the figures of the drawings.

In the drawings the casing of an ordinary window is shown at A, and itis provided with the upper sash 2 and the lower sash 3, which are guidedand held therein by the usual detachable strips, and the Window-casingis provided with a chamber, as 4:, in the head thereof, in which theseveral parts of the balancing and cord winding and guiding mechanismsare disposed.

The sash-balancing mechanism includes in its organization aspring-operated drum, as Bfand a winding cord or band 5, hereinaftermore particularly described. The springdrum B is disposed in ahorizontal position crosswise of the chamber 4 and is carried,preferably, loosely upon the shaft or spindle 6, said cylinderhaving aninwardly-extending hub '7, adapted to surround and turn upon the shaft6, near the outer end thereof. As a means for sustaining the shaft orspindle 6 the bracket 0 is provided, said bracket consisting,preferably, of a single-piece sheetmetal plate adapted to rest upon thefloor 8 of the chamber 4: and having at its opposite ends the upturnedflanges 9 and 10, the front one'of which is somewhat higher than theopposite flange, and these two flanges are bent at right angles to themain or horizontal portion of the bracket and constitute bearings forsustaining the drum-shaft 6, each being provided with an opening throughwhich the shaft is passed. The shaft is held in place againstlongitudinal movement by the cotterpin 12, extending through theaperture 13 in the end thereof, although it is apparent that other meanscan be provided for this purpose. The bracket extends through the frontparts in all wall 14 of the head-chamber 4E, and the portion 9 thereofis held in place against the exposed face of the case by a series ofscrews, as 15, passing through the ears or lugs 16 on the flange 9 andinto the wall 15.

In connection with the drum B, which, it will be observed, consists of ahollow cylinder closed at its forward end, and the shaft or spindle 6 acoiled spring, as 17, is provided, the opposite ends of said spring,which are disposed in the drum, being secured, respectively, to theshaft and to the inner face of said drum.

The slack-take-up mechanism includes a winding-cord 20, of suitablematerial, preferably in one continuous piece, bent upon itself near themiddle, as at 21, and this bent end is passed through the opening 22 inthe drum and knotted, as shown at 22', or provided with any other stop,as at 23, to prevent the withdrawal of the folded end of the string orcord. The cord thus formed then consists of two sections 24 and 25,respectively, of substantially the same length, which are oppositelywound upon the drum and are operatively connected with the upper andlower sashes 2 and 3, respectively, whereby when either of the sashes israised the slack will be instantly taken up by the drum, which is causedto rotate by the spring 17, and said spring serves to maintain either ofthe sashes in the desired position. The section 24 of the cord travelsagainst the periphery of the grooved pulley or roller 26 and from thencepasses under a similar pulley or roller 27, suitably mounted in a recess28 in the lower sash, and then extends upward and over the groovedpulley 29 and from thence downward to the upper sash 3, where it issecured, as at 30, and the opposite section 25 of the windingcord issimilarly disposed, and the similar parts are designated by the samecharacters. The grooved pulleys 26 and 27, located, respectively, atopposite sides of the chamber 4, are rotatively supported by angularbrackets, as 31, suitably secured within the said chamber. Means areprovided for regulating the tension of the coiled spring 17, and forthis purpose we have illustrated the thumb-piece or disk 35, having amilled periphery and secured to the outer end of the shaft, and byturning which the tension of the spring can be easily adjusted. When thespring is regulated, the shaft will be held in proper position by agravity-pawl, as at 36, pivoted on the flange 9 on the outside of thecasing and adapted to engage the ratchet 38, secured to the shaft 6 at apoint near the thumb-piece 35.

In connection with the sashes we provide one or more stops carried byone of them and which serve to prevent said sashes passing each otherwhen either or both are being raised or lowered, and in the present casewe prefer to utilize the curtain-brackets 40 as such stops, saidbrackets being secured to the upper outer sides of the upper sash 2 andbeing adapted to be engaged by the upper side of the lower sash, andtherebyzpositively preventing the two passing each other. Each of thebrackets 40 comprises a disk-shaped portion provided with suitableopenings for fastenings, whereby it may be secured to the upper sash,adjacent to one of the upper corners thereof. Extending outwardly fromthe base 41 is an L-shaped angular and tubular arm 42, in which isfitted a telescopic rod 48, adjustable in a plane parallel to the sash,the said rod sliding into the arm 42 and being held when adjusted,bymeans of a set-screw 43, passing through the end portion of the arm 42.The end portion of the rod 48 is bent at an angle and normally extendsupward, as shown at 49, being provided at its extremities with aneye-bearing 44 for the reception of one of the studs or gudgeons 45 of ashaderoller 46. By arranging two of said brackets at opposite sides ofthe sash and properly adjusting the rods 48 curtain shade-rollers ofdifferent lengths may be accommodated and securely mounted upon thesash.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claims maybe resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In asash-balance, a bracket consisting of an oblong plate having one endenlarged and both ends bent perpendicularly to the body portion to formend flanges of diiferent sizes, the flanges being provided withbearing-openings, in combination with a shaft mounted in said openings,a spring-actuated drum on the shaft, and a sash-balance cord wound onthe drum, the outer flange of the bracket being of greater superficialarea than the cross-sectional extent of the parts carried by thebracket, and also having openings to receive fasteners whereby thedevice is secured to the window-frame, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a bracket having end flanges of different sizes,of a shaft journaled in the flanges, a hollow drum on the shaft, aninteriorly-arranged drum-actuating spring, a cord connected intermediateits ends to the drum, and adapted to have its extremities attached tothe sash, a ratchet-wheel on one end of the shaft, and a pawl pivotallymounted on the larger flange of the bracket for engaging saidratchet-wheel, the outer flange of the bracket being of greatersuperficial area than the cross-sectional extent of the parts carried bythe bracket, and also having openings to receive fasteners whereby thedevice is secured to the window-frame, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as ourown we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

MELVIN BARBER. LOUIS F. KRAMER. \Vitnesses:

J. H. LIEVSAY, B. L. WooDwoRTH.

